Smartpen and paper aiding disabled students

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Science, technology, engineering and math courses are challenging to most students. They're considerably more difficult for individuals who can't see such critical elements as graphs, symbols and numbers.

But now Vanderbilt Peabody College in Nashville, Tenn., is using a smartpen and paper technology developed by the company Livescribe to benefit students with low vision.

"Mainstream approaches to teaching (these) courses all rely strongly on diagrams, graphs, charts and other figures, putting students with visual disabilities at a significant disadvantage," says Andy Van Schaack, assistant professor of human and organizational development at Vanderbilt and senior science adviser for Livescribe. "Our goal is to enable students and teachers to produce and explore diagrams and figures through touch and sound using technology that is low-cost, portable and easy to use."

The smartpen contains a tiny camera that recognizes marks handwritten on special paper. It also includes an audio recorder to capture a lecture or demonstration. All the data can be uploaded to the student's computer for later access and review.

"A new world of possibilities has opened for the rapid creation of portable, low-cost, high-quality accessible graphics enhanced with audio," he says, "For example, a visually impaired psychology student could learn neuroanatomy by exploring a diagram of the brain, with each lobe, gyrus and sulcus's name spoken as the smartpen touches it."

Van Schaack says the device allows students to spend more time listening to classroom discussions while taking brief notes. "Later, when they are reviewing their handwritten notes, they can tap within them to hear what the professor was saying when they wrote a particular note."

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